Chapter Three: Always Have Your Back, My Queen

Uma tried to forgot about the fact that the sunlight was rapidly fading and even though it was still generall warm outside, with the sunlight disappearing, so was the warmth. Uma sighed heavily. debating whether she should leave or stay just a litttle longer; she really didn't want to bike home in pitch blackness. Her bike had no lights or reflectors, so she was more likely to get hit.

"You know I don't mind," Desiree said, "If you want to stay the night, it's fine. Morgan sometimes crashes here when he's mom being too bitchy." Uma smiled, feeling flattered that her aquaintance had offered. She hadn't known Desiree too long, but Uma assumed that if she was good friends with Morgan, than she'd be an alright pal for Uma.
"Thanks for the hospitality," Uma said, standing and stretching from the spot she had been curled in the past hour, casually watching reruns of Family Feud with Desiree. "But I don't want to be a bother. There's one more place I have to go before the day is done."
"Okay, well if you need me, I'm here." Desiree gave Uma a quick hug before wishing her well at the door.

Harry had texted her earlier after school had let out, asking if she wanted to drop by for a bit later. She agreed in a heartbeat since it looked like she'd never see him properly outside of school this year. This year, they only managed to share lunch, which was a miracle in itself, but Uma sadly didn't share any actual classes with Gil or Harry, which must have been incredibly hard for the school staff to do. But, in the back of her head, Uma assumed that they wanted it that way. Sometimes, when the three of them were together, they could be a bit much at times, depending on the situation and such.

As she rode up to Harry's house, she noticed a figured sitting on the curb, their legs sprawled out before them. With the night sky quickly approaching, it was hard to make out who it was, but Uma knew it had to be Harry as soon as she saw a small little orange orb light up.

"Why are you sitting out here," she asked. She threw her bike to the lawn and pulled off her helmet, placing it atop the fallen bike. She came and sat down next to Harry, who offered her his lit cigarette. She shrugged and took it, tagging a quick drag before handing it back.

"I can't be alone in my own house anymore; I need some space. I just wish the fucking honeymoon was over already," he grumbled. "Somehow, I think it would be better if me Da was back, maybe Harriet wouldn't be such a bossy bitch, and Henry would stop trying to have a conversation with me." Uma didn't really know what to say to him; she didn't have any siblings, so she couldn't relate to having such a busy household. But from the time she'd known Harry, she'd learned over time that Harriet was a pest, like a mosquito that just wouldn't quit; she lived to embarass and one up Harry and Uma was very aware of how much Harry hated it.

After a moment of thought, she replied,"It can't be all that bad, Harry." Sometimes she wished that she had a family like Harry's or Gil's, maybe she'd be more content that way. "I'm sure there could be a lot worse things going on in your life."
"I don't like him, Uma," Harry grumbled, his eys growing dark, "He seems like the better verison of meself; it makes me uncomfortable.:What if my Da likes him better than me?"
Uma scoffed. "You honestly think that? I was at the wedding, remember? Henry looks like a complete dweeb, I don't know what your father would find better about him anyway."

Harry smiled slightly, nodding in agreement with her statement. He took a long drawn on the cigarette, the lit end glowing orange in the night, like an evil eye.
"What about ye," he asked, stamping the cigarette butt on the sidewalk, changing the subject before the conversation could get any more touchy. "Are you okay? Is your mum whaling on you or something?" Uma sighed internally.

Of course he'd bring up the bruise he saw earlier on her; that was just Harry. He'd alway had a concern for her that most other people didn't show for her, so she had always seen it as a gesture of kindness. And even though the two of them had been friends for nearly a decade, Uma didnt't want to bring any of her friends into the her home life if she could avoid it. When Ursuala was mad, she lashed out at whatever or whoever was closest, it didn't matter if that whoever was blood related or not; Uma feared that her friends could get hurt, and she'd never forgive herself if one of them was.
"I'm fine." Her voice was monotone, and if she knew that, she knew that Harry knew that too. Just by the way he cocked his head at her and the way his eyebrows rose in question confirmed her thoughts.

"Well, if you ever need help, you know where to find me and Gil. We'll always have yer back, my queen."

Uma hated having to go home, but she couldn't be a burden too much to her friends. Although normally, when she got in the door at ten or eleven o'clock at night, she was still the first one home. Recently, her mother, Ursula had lost her job. Unable to pay the lease of where her crappy little restuarnat sat, the bank took it back and evicted her. With no job, her mother had been sitting at home all summer, bringing home people, mostly men, of suspicion with her.

The atmosphere between these strangers and her mother could get very heated sometimes, to a point where Uma could hear the groaning of pleasure and the banging of the headboard hitting the bed. However, her mother had managed to find work eventually at a bar downtown, as a waitress/ bartender. It was in Uma's advantage that her mother was gone until the wee hours of the morning, but sadly, sometimes her gentleman friends tended to stay longer than intended, or sometimes, appeared unexpectedly on Ursula's doorstep. And it wouldn't have been the first time that one of them had come after her, looking for a quick shag to fix their itch.

Sometimes things happend, sometimes Uma got off lucky.
More often than not, she fought back if they came after her. There had only been a handful of occasions where they hadn't taken no or a slap to the face for an answer. Sometimes, Uma wished that she was stronger, more intimidating, or had mace or a taser hidden nearby that she could use to defend herself. Thankfully though, she had spared herself the trauma of sexual assualt; she knew enough about self defense to knock her mother's escorts to their knees; she supposed that them being completely wasted helped too.

Surprisingly, as she rode up into her driveway, the lights were on. Uma assumed that it was Sadly though, as she came in through the front door, she had only taken off her shoes and had started to head down the hall to her bedroom when she heard the heavy footsteps of her mother.

"You little rat," Ursula shouted from behind her. Uma felt the drunken anger in her voice, but refused to turn around. She froze mid step as a glass ash tray shattered next to her head. "I get home from work early and there's no food in this godforsaken place! Can't you do anything right, like go to the grocery store when we need food?"

Uma sighed and headed back to where she had placed her shoes, intent on heading to the grocery store before it closed. All the while, Ursula continued to yell at her, but Uma just blocked it all out, she'd become so numb to it. Needless to say,Uma crawled into bed well after midnight, exhausted; both emotionally and physically. Biking around practiacally from one side of the two to other had also worn her out. Her legs hurt from hurriedly peddling to the grocery store before it closed. Knowing her mother, who had passed out on the couch not long after throwing the ashtray at Uma for target practice.

She just didn't have anymore room in her heart for her mother or the flood of negative emotions she carried with her. As soon as she turned eighteen, she was leaving. Even though Ursula was the one that gave birth to her, Uma hated her; she was no mother, just someone who had had a baby. She'd always seen a difference in the two. As soon as she was eighteen, she was leaving this hell hole. Anywhere would be better.

A/N: So there is the third chapter, hope you enjoyed. Reviews and constructive criticism is welcomed, as are favorites and follows. Thanks again to the people who have commented, I am very glad you are enjoying it!